Marc Myers writes daily on jazz legends and legendary jazz recordings

June 2012

June 07, 2012

Yesterday was the anniversary of D-Day, which always makes me think of Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band (1943-44). The band—though short-lived with Miller at the helm—was one of the finest of the period and, strangely, among the least-recognized today.

Perhaps the appeal for me rests in the homesick sweetness of the band's strings and the cool, modern voicings of the brass. Or the fact that this band is so often heard on soundtracks of World War II documentaries. If your dad was in the service during this period, the band probably will remind you of him as well.

Miller's Army Air Force Band was more than a swing band. It featured brass and strings, and carried superb musicians who later would become prominent. The list includes John Carisi, Peanuts Hucko, Mel Powell, Carmen Mastren, Ray McKinley and Trigger Alpert. Most of the band's musicians had played in other major swing bands before winding-up in the service. But the Army Air Force Band's real strength rested with its arrangers, including Powell, Jerry Gray and others. [Pictured above, from left: Glenn Miller, Ray McKinley and Mel Powell]

The story of the band begins in 1942, just months after America entered the war. At age 38, Miller was too old to be drafted but still wanted to enlist. So he wrote a letter to Army Brigadier General Charles Young asking to be put in charge of an Army band. His request was granted, and Miller's civilian band performed its last concert in late September.

After his induction, Miller was transferred from the Army to the Army Air Force, evidently to motivate enlistment where it was needed most. Miller began his service by playing trombone in a 15-piece dance band at a training center in Alabama.

In 1943, Miller was transferred to Atlantic City, N.J., where many soldier-musicians received basic training. The musicians Miller cherry-picked for his next band were sent to Yale University in New Haven, where Miller rehearsed them between March and May.

In New Haven, Miller at first formed a marching band, but swing versions of military songs were frowned upon by the brass. According to George Simon writing in The Big Bands, when the New Haven camp commander said to Miller, "We played those Sousa marches pretty straight in the last war and we did all right," Miller reportedly replied, "Tell me Major, are you still flying the same planes you flew in the last war, too?" [Photo above: ROTC artillery instruction at Yale during World War II]

A short time later, Miller was assigned to host and perform on a recruitment radio show called I Sustain the Wings, which was broadcast from New Haven. After the show was moved to New York, Miller was granted permission to form a 50-piece band that included a string section. Arrangements were written by Powell, Gray, Norman Leyden, Ralph Wilkinson and Perry Burgett. [Photo above: Glenn Miller at Yale in 1943]

The radio show lasted a year, and in the spring of 1944 Miller's expanded band was sent to England. According to Simon, the orchestra that shipped out included 20 string players, five trumpets, four trombones (not including Miller), a French horn, six reeds, two drummers, two pianists, two bassists, a guitarist, three arrangers, a copyist, five singers, two producers, an announcer, two administrators and two musical instrument repairmen.

The band gave 800 performances in the months after D-Day in 1944. Then in December 1944, Miller decided to fly to Paris to make arrangements for the band to play in the French capital, which had been liberated by the Allies that August. But Miller's plane never arrived, disappearing while flying over the English Channel.

Upon re-listening to many of the Army Air Force Band's recordings today, one is struck by its taut efficiency, nostalgic swing and polished orchestrations. This was no jazz band in the traditional sense, but it was mighty regal and pretty—shifting smoothly between emotionally moving passages and up-tempo swing with a military crispness. There also was a more future-forward sound to the arrangements compared with those written for Miller's civilian band.

For example, Begin the Beguine and Stompin' at the Savoy are arranged smartly with the Miller voicings and military precision—yet still manage to pay tribute to the bands that made them famous. The ballads are particularly heart-felt, and include Speak Low, Star Eyes and Now I Know. Johnny Desmond is the male vocalist here and his intonation was quite a bit fresher than the civilian band's Ray Eberle. [Pictured: Glenn Miller with Dinah Shore in September 1944]

Of course, the band's magnum opus was was David Rose's Holiday for Strings, arranged by Jerry Gray, and Poinciana, featuring the band's Crew Chiefs vocal group [pictured].

The sound of Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band will instantly transport you to an era when this country was united behind a common cause, and sacrifice for the greater national good was everyone's job. As elegant a sound as the big band era would produce, with arrangements as sharp as a pleat.

JazzWax tracks: There are several excellent compilations of Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band. The best is the 2001 remastered four-CD box, Glenn Miller: Army Air Force Band. You find it here. There's also a "best of" CD of the same material for less here.

If you want more, I recommend The Glenn Miller Story Vol. 17-18, which is made up of touching I Sustain the Wings radio broadcasts and other live dates between 1943 and 1945, when Jerry Gray led the band. You'll find it here.

Finally, Miller made a series of propaganda radio transcriptions at London's Abbey Road Studios in October 1944. On these, Miller speaks in German and Johnny Desmond sings in German. They were used to broadcast to German radio audiences to undercut their resistance to Allied advances. A fascinating document and a superb recording. You'll find Glenn Miller: The Lost Recordings here.

Thanks to a heads up from Jari Villanueva, there's even a Facebook page for the band. Go here.

Still Miller-crazy? Here's a lovely, terrific-sounding compilation of Miller's civilian band in two films with slam-bang arrangements—Sun Valley Serenade (1941) and Orchestra Wives (1942).

JazzWax clip:Here's footage of Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band in England in July 1944. The music is dubbed from the concert, but at least you get a sense of what the band looked like...

As for the civilian band's sound, here's a favorite clip of People Like You and Me (with some actors, including the jazz trumpeter and Jackie Gleason on bass). It's from Orchestra Wives, with Marion Hutton and the Modernaires...

June 06, 2012

As readers of this blog know, my musical tastes vary. Ultimately, I love great stuff—whether it's jazz, soul, rock, R&B, disco, you name it. Over the past few weeks I've come across a bunch of great soul, pop and R&B albums that you should know about—since you likely listen to music the way I do:

Ben L'Oncle Soul (Wrasse). French retro-soul sensation Ben L'Oncle Soul has three albums out—Ben L'Oncle Soul, Soul Wash, and Live Paris. Each is more addictive than the next, with rubbery grooves, funky horns and jazz-soul keyboards. Best of all, there's a Euro-wash over all of the material, pulling together reggae, Motown and other soul and jazz influences. I stumbled across these recordings a couple of weeks ago while messing around at YouTube. Most tracks have a familiar '60s and early '70s soul feel—but reinterpreted, much in the way Amy Winehouse turned R&B riffs inside out. You'll find Soul Washhere, Ben L'Oncle Soulhere and Live Parishere. If you want just one, go for Ben L'Oncle Soul. Trust me, you're going to thank me for this one.

DeBarge: The Complete Motown Albums (Hip-O Select). This singer-songwriting family quintet from Grand Rapids, Mich., recorded only four albums between 1981 and 1985. After Motown founder Berry Gordy tapped them to replace the Jackson 5, DeBarge had six Billboard Hot 100 hits, three reaching No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and two topping the R&B chart. Though today the group is a punchline for lightweight, big-hair '80s teen soul-pop, this is a bit unfair. Many of DeBarge's melodies hold up well and defy the dreaded bubble-gum label. Much of their songwriting was solid, as were the keyboard-heavy arrangements. This three-CD set features remastered uptempo shoulder-pad pounders (Can't Stop, Rhythm of the Night) and prom-night ballads (All This Love, Time Will Reveal, Share My World, Love Me in a Special Way). Disc three features rarities and remixes. If you're a closet DeBarge fan, this is your set. More information here. You'll find the set here.

Vivian Reed (Epic). I know very little about Vivian Reed, except that she recorded a terrific female soul album in 1968. As one YouTuber writes under an audio clip, "This album is criminally out of print." You're telling me! As you'll hear in a moment, Reed had a strong soulful voice with a terrific range and could easily navigate songs using a seductive timbre—and never losing control of the notes. On this album, there are soul tracks (Down Here on the Ground), pop-rock classics (You've Lost That Loving Feeling), Brit-rock (The Shape of Things to Come) and Broadway standards (Somewhere). Which makes one wonder whether this wasn't something of a demo showcase album. While Vivian Reed isn't available digitally, you will likely find it at download sites. I'm not sure if this Vivian Reed is the Vivian Reed of Broadway fame (the images seem different). But if so, I hope she emails me so we can learn more about this 1968 classic.

The Orlons: The Wah-Watusi/South Street (Real Gone/ABKCO). The Orlons weren't around on the charts for long. Two years and that was it (though the group remained together performing for decades). But from 1962 to 1964, the vocal group—featuring three gals and a guy—put a dance spin on late '50s doo-wop. Signed to Philadelphia's Cameo-Parkway label, the Orlons had nine Hot 100 hits—three in the Top 10: The Wah-Watusi, Don't Hang Up and South Street. They also sang back up on Dee Dee Sharp's Mashed Potato Time and other artists' singles. A relisten to these two Orlons albums on one CD makes you realize they had substance and soul. Dig Dedicated to the One I Love, He's Gone, (Happy Birthday) Mr. Twenty-One and Pokey Lou. Reminders that before the Beatles' arrived in '64, teens were obsessed with the latest dance crazes, and groups hoped to land hits by introducing new ones. You'll find this set here.

June 05, 2012

West Coast jazz musicians of the '50s and early '60s tend to be viewed stereotypically as laid-back hot dogs who routinely recorded upbeat contrapuntal originals. As for West Coast orchestral arrangers, they are imagined as writers working mostly for pop albums and film.

In truth, artists and arrangers on the West Coast recorded quite a number of heavy dates during this period, including Russ Garcia's Wigville (1955), Jimmy Giuffre's Seven Pieces (1957), Ornette Coleman's Something Else!!! (1958) and Fred Katz's Folk Songs for Far Out Folks (1958). One such intensive album is Clare Fischer's Extension, a Pacific Jazz release which has just been reissued on CD in a glossy mini-LP case. [Pictured above: Clare Fischer, Getty Images]

Fischer was an admirer of Gary McFarland's modernist feel, Gil Evans' sighing Impressionism and Eddie Sauter's tonal intricacy. But on this album, there are traces of Duke Ellington's complex harmonic textures. Nevertheless, Fischer was distinctly his own man, brushing aside the styles of those he favored for new carefully crafted orchestral explorations. Here, aside from Jerry Coker's tenor sax solos and Fischer's own piano and organ solos, there is no other improvisation on the album.

After Extension was released on vinyl, it was reissued on vinyl again in 1983 on the Discovery label. Then, in 2003, it was released digitally as part of America the Beautiful by the Fischer family. Like many superb albums that have been forgotten, the only reason Extension is out now in its original form with original liner notes is because someone was passionate enough to make the effort. That someone is Jonathan Horwich, who has been producing albums since the early 1960s. As Jon told me in an email:

"I first became aware of Extension in 1964 or 1965 when I took piano lessons with Clare. My jazz record company at the time, Revelation, recorded him then as well as Warne Marsh, Gary Foster, Gary Peacock and others. I may issue more Clare Fischer big band stuff in the future, though I believe Extension is his greatest work. It just holds together perfectly and is singularly original."

A month before his death in January, Fischer wrote a note for the reissue:

"I have always written music on my own terms, not bowing to pressure from producers to join in the latest stylistic fads or use the hottest musicians of the day. I recognized the genius of people such as Jerry Coker [pictured], Don Shelton, Gary Foster and many others long before the record industry really started paying attention to them because I have the ears to do so. Had I not insisted on the musicians I wanted back then, you would be listening to a much different album.

"Similarly, my choice of instrumentation was not convenient for those trying to fit the recordings into existing music categories but it was essential for featuring Jerry exactly as I deemed. His superb tone and expressiveness float immutably over the unconventional woodwind and brass colorings. Consequently, I have never worried about my works standing the test of time because none of them were written with an expiration date in mind!"

Fischer's originals for Extension took four months to prepare, and he rehearsed the orchestra tirelessly prior to recording. The featured artist was Jerry Coker, who had this to say in the album's original notes:

"This is very difficult music—playing it is like patting your head and rubbing your stomach simultaneously, and you are constantly faced with concurrent lines and ideas that are going two different directions at once toward the same place."

The album opens deceptively with a frolicking waltz called Ornithardy, with Fischer on the organ. Then the album promptly exits the predictable highway for an exploration of rougher musical terrain. The title track, with a fascinating orchestration, also features Fischer on organ.

I will admit that it took me about five listens to fully grasp the excitement and breadth of this album. Fischer is such a pretty arranger that you constantly half-expect Extension to veer into his more melodic approach. But the balance of the album steadfastly remains innovative, forcing you to meet the modern work on its own terms.

JazzWax tracks: The newly remastered CD and download of Clare Fischer's Extension can be found at iTunes and Amazon here. By the way, the abstract cover was by Zoe Anne Fischer, Clare Fischer's first wife. Interestingly, the LP cover incorrectly displayed the piece's background as rust-orange. For the re-issue, it has been restored to its original tone.

JazzWax clip: Forget, if you will, that Robert Palmer can't handle this type of material. Instead, focus on the genius of Clare Fischer's arrangement of The Tender Trap:

June 04, 2012

Monday is perfect for Anita O'Day. Here's an hour-long set of the hep swinger from 1986 at Ronnie Scott's in London. Backing O'Day were Tommy Whittle (ts,fl), Merrill Hoover (p), Lennie Bush (b) and John Poole (d). A big thanks to Jim Mentis for sending this one along...

June 02, 2012

Is the music industry bumming-out America? In "Emotional Cues in American Popular Music: Five Decades of the Top 40" published in the current issue of Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts, the article proposes that over the past five decades Top 40 music has become "progressively more sad-sounding and emotionally ambiguous." [Photo above: Self Portrait at 17 Years Old,Gillian Wearing, 2003]

According to the authors—psychologist E. Glenn Schellenberg and sociologist Christian von Scheve—an increasing percentage of pop songs are being written in minor keys that most listeners, young and old, associate with gloom and despair.

Hmmm. On the one hand, this is disheartening news, since music plays such a vital role in motivating listeners and stimulating feelings of happiness and optimism. Serving up supersized diets of downers risks unconsciously discouraging Americans—particularly young ones, who are likely to become more apprehensive about their future and abilities. [Photo above: Walter and I at the BIG SLIDE, Anonymous, ca. 1970]

On the other hand let's face it, the digital revolution has made the Top 40 obsolete to everyone except those in the trade. ITunes and high-speed modems upended traditional radio years ago, rendering it superfluous. Meanwhile, online CD and download stores have become electronic soda machines—dispensing music without offering much help with new and unfamiliar music short of samples. For exploration, many of us turn to YouTube.

So what's the takeaway? Blogs will only continue to replace radio jockeys and store clerks as the independent gateways to unfamiliar music. Young people may have less upbeat downloads to choose from in the "new music" sections of digital sites but they certainly have plenty of blogs today that offer up learning curves and examples of what's good and positive in almost every genre. They'll just have to do a little reading. [Polacolor ER photo above of Pia Zadora by Andy Warhol, 1983]

A special thanks to Steve Feldman for bringing the article in Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity and the Arts to my attention.

Bill Evans remembered. Tickets to the "Jazz in July" series of concerts at New York's 92Y are going fast—especially Time Remembered: The Music of Bill Evans, Messengers of Jazz: The Legacy of Art Blakey and Basie Roars Again. For more information about the concerts and tickets, go here.

Mel Torme. Bret Primack, the Jazz Video Guy, found the following undocumented TV pilot for a half-hour musical sitcom developed by Mel Torme. My research shows it was filmed in early 1955, and that's Al Pellegrini on piano, possibly James Dupre on bass and Dick Shanahan on drums. Torme had been playing with them at L.A.'s Crescendo Club around this time period. I'm not sure of the guitarist—or should I say "guitarists," since a careful eye will notice that there's a switch between songs.

In this clip, some will hear Torme sing Will You Still Be Mine? and realize how gifted he was as a vocalist. Others will view the hack acting job as merely another example of the singer's egotistical, cheesy overreach. Either way, there's Technicolor film of San Francisco mid-century and a walk-on by Joe Besser. Without further ado, here's Everything Happens to Mel...

Peggy Lee. Legendary Los Angeles record promoter Dick LaPalm sent along this fabulous clip of Peggy Lee absolutely acing Baubles, Bangles and Beads. Dig the Fever intro and Lee's pacing behind and ahead of the beat. And watch that right eyebrow...

Pick out what you like at Herb's site here (click on the "Gallery" tab in the left-hand column). To buy or for more information: 727-692-7646.

Lucky Thompson. New England Public Radio blogger Tom Reney posted another beaut this past week on Don Byas and Lucky Thompson. Go here to read it. And here's the fabulous video of Thompson that Tom featured...

Stax redux. Did you miss Chris Cowles seven hour radio broadcast last week on Stax Records? No worries. Here are links to all seven parts: Hours one, two, three, four, five, six and seven.

Best song lyrics of the week. Listen carefully to the wordplay in We Belong Together, written by Matt Dennis. That's Dennis singing and playing piano, joined by vocalist Virginia Maxey, at Hollywood's Tally-Ho club in 1954...

CD discoveries of the week. Back in 2007, drummer Steve Smith and his funk-fusion band Vital Information recorded at the Mobius in Ashland, Ore. The result is on his new release Live! One Great Night(BFM), which is being supported by a reunion tour. This is a tightly wound rhythm-and-organ-driven group that delivers hip drama on each track. Smith's drumming kicks off a big beat, but there's enormous sophistication here, with intricate cymbal patterns throughout. Sample Seven and a Half and Cat Walk. The '70s updated with unconventional originals and revamped Corea-Hancock touches. Which makes sense, since Smith played with Focus and Steps Ahead The CD version comes with a DVD of the performance.

To understand Southern rock, you have to drive the Interstates down there. Big trucks, sprawling farmland and lots of neon signs. Louisiana slide guitarist Sonny Landreth's Elemental Journey (Landfall) is evocative of the entire twangy scene. The all-instrumental album also is a showcase for his unorthodox playing style. Landreth is able to play broadly for maximum effect, but it's his tight needle work in the clinches that makes this an important work. And yes, those are strings behind his rock wailing, by members of the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra with arrangements by Sam Broussard. Dig Heavy Heart Rising and Reckless Beauty. Deep-fried original rocking with roots influences and long-hair touches.

Pianist Amina Figarova can play. And write. And arrange. On her new album, Twelve (In + Out), Figarova shows off all three gifts. What stands out most are the stewing, brooding moods that unfold on tracks like Another Side of the Ocean—with its complex, sighing orchestration and Ernie Hammes' flugelhorn. You also hear nature's patient influence on nearly every song, including Shut Eyes, Sea Waves and Morning Pace, my favorite. Figarova on this album has Bill Evans' heart, Thad Jones' whimsy and Les McCann's pacing.

Country singer-guitarist Mel McDaniel died last year. But back in the late 70s and throughout the '80s, while the rest of the country was embracing rap, British pop and Michael Jackson, McDaniel's Nashville story-tellin' sound was hot on the C&W charts. Now, McDaniel's hits for Capitol have been gathered and remastered on Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On (Real Gone Music). McDaniel has a wonderful, working-man sound, adorned with slide guitars, a female chorus and strings. Soul of a Honky Tonk Woman, God Made Love and Big Ole Brew are irresistible, as is virtually every track on the set. Music that's perfect for a couple of cold ones on a Friday evening.

Oddball album cover of the week. There were album cover designers in the '50s who came up with wacky or banal concepts. And there were dull designers who had almost no imagination at all. And then there were designers like this one who had no idea what he or she was doing. So the designer threw everything but the kitchen sink into the graphic concept. We know from the cover that the organ has a beat and that Don Johnson was the king of something. But from there on, we're on our own to make sense of the other elements. My favorite is the bi-toned taffy-colored keys. The lipstick kiss print is a close second. Yours?

June 01, 2012

Songwriters Mike Stoller and the late Jerry Leiber wrote Hound Dog and K.C. Lovin' (Kansas City) in Los Angeles in 1952 just as Gerry Mulligan was forming his pianoless quartet with Chet Baker a few miles away. My point is that Mike may be among the most significant living figures in the evolution of post-war R&B and early rock 'n' roll. Mike, along with Leiber, crafted musical ideas that didn't really exist yet, nor was there a large marketplace for them. Fats Domino and B.B. King were perhaps the leading exponents of the pre-rock form in '52, but their fabulous music then was largely regional and instrumental. [Pictured above: Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber]

But as the 1950s evolved, Mike and Leiber became known for something else that today is largely overlooked—record production. When I interviewed Burt Bacharach last fall, he shook his head and remarked at how everyone in the business marveled at the way Leiber and Stoller could magically build dramatic orchestration in the studio behind R&B vocal groups and how many songwriter-producers tried to pick up tricks from them on their own records.

In Part 4 of my conversation with Mike for my Wall Street Journal profile (go here), the songwriter talks about how Stand By Me became a Top 10 hit twice (in 1961 and 1986), and the thinking behind their much-emulated approach to heavy-drama orchestration that became a staple during the pop-rock era of the 1960s:

Marc Myers: How did the movie Stand By Me come about?Mike Stoller: Rob Reiner [pictured] called me in 1985. I had met him first at a party, when he asked me to play the piano. I’m not given to performing at parties, you know. But he insisted.

MM: Why?MS: He wanted to sing every song Jerry and I ever wrote, and he knew the lyrics to all of them. So I did. That was our first meeting. Then several months later, he called.

MM: What did he want?MS: He said, “I have this movie. It has the right title, but I can’t use it. It’s called The Body. The movie is based on a Steven King story, but if I use the title, people will think it’s a film based literally on the Steven King book. Then they'll assume it’s a horror film. But it’s not a horror film. It’s a coming-of-age film.”

MM: So he called you to talk about his film-naming issues?MS: [Laughs] Rob wanted to call the film Stand By Me. He loved the song. I said, “Hey, be my guest.” Then we hung up. But I thought for a minute and called him back. I said, “Who do you think we could get to record the title song? Tina Turner or maybe someone else who’s hot now?” Rob said, “We thought about it. It’s a period piece, so we want to go with the original record.” So the movie comes out, and the original song Stand By Me almost becomes as big a hit in 1986 as the first time it was out 25 years earlier. [Note: The song peaked at No. 4 in 1961 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and at No. 9 in 1986]

MM: In addition to desegregating R&B, you and Leiber were key to changing how records were produced and recorded in the late ‘50s.MS: I suppose. I leave that to people like you.

MM: By adding strings and layering instruments, you created enormous drama, in effect tricking out the music and giving it much more import and appeal.MS: The big thing people talk about with us on this topic—simply because we thought it might work—was adding strings to the orchestration for the Drifters' There Goes My Baby in March 1959. It was probably the first time strings were added to music considered R&B. [Note: Dinah Washington's What a Difference a Day Made album for Mercury was recorded later in the year.]

MM: How did adding strings to your song for the Drifters come about?MS: When Jerry and I were working on the song, I hummed a line, and Jerry said, “Hey, that sounds like violins.” So we added them to the orchestration.

MM: R&B was like religion with you guys, wasn’t it?MS: It was. We lived and breathed the music and loved it. R&B had been segregated in the charts for years. After There Goes My Baby, pop-rock and girl groups started becoming big along with more elaborate orchestrations. [Pictured from left: Mike Stoller, Lester Sill and Jerry Leiber. Sill first urged a young Leiber to find a pianist if he wanted to write songs, which led to a phone call to Mike]

MM: Was adding strings in 1959 a conscious decision on your part to expand R&B's appeal?MS: No, not at all. Our decision to add strings had nothing to do with any social-consciousness. Strings just sounded good and added optimistic, cinematic drama. As it turned out, the strings also helped R&B cross over. But that was a by-product, not a motivation.

MM: Did executives at Atlantic, the record company you were writing for in the late ‘50s, love the sound in the studio when the Drifters were recording?MS: [Laughs] Are you kidding? Jerry Wexler [pictured] hated it. He said it sounded like a radio dial picking up two stations at once.

MM: [Laughing] A simultaneous cross between easy-listening and R&B.MS: Jerry thought we were flushing Atlantic’s money down the toilet. Ahmet Ertegun [pictured] said as much, but more diplomatically: “You know, boys, you make great records but you can’t hit a home run every time.”

MM: What did he mean?MS: He meant, “Don’t overthink your songs.” But after we had commercial success by adding four fiddles and a cello to There Goes My Baby, everyone in the business tried to do the same thing.

MM: But your use of strings didn’t end there.MS: That’s right. Because we had success with strings, we loved the idea of constantly experimenting with colors and percussion. We started adding bigger string sections and, on occasion, brass as well. For example, the orchestration for Spanish Harlem included a curved soprano saxophone.

MM: Why curved and not the straight-neck model?MS: Because it has a special sound. The curved-neck one has less of a snake-charmer sound. Phil Bodner played it on Spanish Harlem.

MM: Was Stand By Me recorded at the same session as Spanish Harlem.MS: Yes. What’s interesting is we had varied instrumentation on Spanish Harlem. Yet when it came to Stand By Me, we didn’t use the marimba, the soprano saxophone or many of the other instruments there that day.

MM: Why not?MS: I don't fully recall, but it may have been that we started recording Stand By Me with many instruments but kept paring them back after the first few takes because they were getting in the way of something that was interesting and very simple.

MM: Where were Spanish Harlem and Stand By Me recorded?MS: At Bell Sound at 237 W. 54th St., just off Broadway.

MM: What about your and Leiber’s studio sound in general?MS: Jerry and I liked to create as much texture as possible.

MM: Was everything you and Leiber recorded done live?MS: Meaning that the orchestra and singer were in the studio at the same time? Yes. Ben E. recorded with the orchestra on Spanish Harlem and Stand By Me. There was no overdubbing.

MM: So did Phil Spector, who worked for you and Leiber in 1960 under an exclusive publishing contract, model his "Wall of Sound" approach to production based on yours? You put him on sessions as a guitarist, and he observed everything you guys did first-hand. He co-wrote Spanish Harlem after all.MS: Well, Phil’s “Wall of Sound” came a little later, in the early ‘60s, and he did something different than we did.

MM: How so?MS: We went for a textured sound that distinguished the quality of the instruments used, to show off the differences and combinations. When we used two instruments playing the same lines, it was to get a specific timbre.

MM: And how did that differ from Spector’s approach?MS: For the most part, he had everyone in the studio doing everything at the same time and as loud as possible. His “Wall of Sound,” at its optimum, was about power—a kind of sledgehammer sound. We went for trying to get individual textures of the instruments. And we didn’t layer all that much. [Photo of Phil Spector above by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images]

MM: Ever?MS: The only texture with multiple parts was when we used the baion rhythm, where we’d have bass drum, conga, and African hairy drum all playing together. On occasion there would be acoustic and 12-string guitars together. But that’s it. When we used four or more guitars, one would play the chord while the other would play rhythmic "chicks" on the two and off-three beats. We liked to get multiple rhythmic things happening on songs.

MM: But didn’t other producers who followed borrow that dramatic, layered pop-rock orchestral concept from you and Leiber?MS: I imagine so.

JazzWax tracks:Here'sThere Goes My Baby recorded by Ben E. King and the Drifters, produced by Leiber & Stoller...

And here's the magnificent Peggy Lee in 1969 singing Leiber & Stoller's masterpiece, Is That All There Is? Dig the genius of the words and music—and Randy Newman's orchestration...

About

Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of a Song" (Grove) and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax is a two-time winner of the Jazz Journalists Association's best blog award.